


Struggles

by Transformersfan123



Category: 9 (2009)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-12
Updated: 2018-01-12
Packaged: 2019-03-04 01:58:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 9,234
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13354101
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Transformersfan123/pseuds/Transformersfan123
Summary: Eight needed a break, and Nine was traveling. But when they come back, Eight has to face what he's done, and the consequences of leaving for such a long time, and Nine has to face the fact that he's not really better off alone. Will he forgive Eight for everything he's done? Will One accept Nine as one of his own? Humanized! Alternate Universe! Stand Alone! (Not connected to Scars)





	1. Frap

Eight laughed as Nine made a face. He sipped his coffee then passed it over to his friend, who took a huge drink, swallowing greedily.

"Geez, calm down, you can have as much as you want, Nine!"

 _~I don't get coffee often. Especially not a Frappuccino!~_ Nine said excitedly as his face reddened in embarrassment. _~I'm sorry, Eight.~_

"Eh, don't sweat it. I like seeing you enjoy things. You still leaving this Friday?"

_~Yeah. I want to see my friends in other countries. You sure you don't want to come with? I have enough money for two airline tickets.~_

"There is no way One would agree with me going off with you. Especially since none of them know you."

 _~You could just leave.~_ Nine suggested, though Eight could tell he knew the answer already.

"Leave my friends? Nine, you know I couldn't do that anymore than I could stop visiting you."

_~Well, if you change your mind, you know where to find me.~_

Eight nodded. "Thanks for the offer. I gotta go now. You can have the rest of the frap. I'll see you Nine!"

Eight left the shop, walking to where he was supposed to meet up with Two to go home. It was a few blocks, so he plugged in his music and thought as country tunes filled his head. He had been putting up a brave front for Nine. Truth was, things weren't really a hundred percent at the house. Eight had been getting into trouble at school. Final report cards came out on Friday, and Eight knew that One would have his ass for at least three subjects.

Eight knew One loved him somewhere deep inside, but lately One seemed to be constantly mad at him. Could he face a pissed off leader over some stupid grades?

 _~Eight, I'm here.~_ Two said, and Eight looked up to smile at the second in command, slipping into the car.

"Sorry, just getting into the music," Eight lied as he popped out his earbuds.

Two kept glancing at him as he drove home. "Are you alright?"

"Just distracted," Eight admitted.

"You know we're here for you, right? You can talk to us."

"I need to sort this out a little more first. Thanks, though."

That night, Eight packed a bag. He hadn't exactly changed his mind, but he was nervous. Tomorrow was Thursday. He would go to school and see if life was any better. If not, he would go to Nine. It would be nice to just get away for a while, have an adventure. Maybe come back for the school year. Yeah. That would be good. And he wouldn't have to hear them snickering over how dumb he was.


	2. Change of Mind

Eight stood on the balcony, looking over the Eiffel Tower. It was their first stop, France was. Nine stepped out of the bathroom, a pair of sweats on with his shirt in his hands. It attested to how much he trusted Eight, as the vast majority of his scars were bared. Eight's black eyes lingered on the crisscrossing of lines on Nine's throat. His friend blushed, but didn't cover them up, which pleased him.

"We've come so far, haven't we?" Eight asked fondly.

_~Yep. But you need to trust me as much as I trust you.~_

"I trust you," Eight argued.

` _~Then tell me what happened.~_

Eight blushed, closing the balcony doors and hanging the curtains in front of it. He went to plop on his bed, looking up with a pinched expression. He finally sighed as Nine sat down, golden eyes gazing imploringly at him.

"I got into a fight. I ran away to you as soon as One was phoned. I stayed the night then we left the next morning at six."

 _~That is a very condensed version of events.~_ Nine said with a nod. _~Why did you get into a fight?~_

"Greg called me stupid."

_~Who's Greg?~_

"Dumbass jock who's a straight-A student, got every girl in the school hot for him, has almost every guy wanting to be him. He's got everything."

 _~He clearly doesn't have your approval.~_ Nine replied.

"No, he doesn't. He picks on Five and Six, but I'm not supposed to even grab him unless he touches them. He doesn't touch them anymore because I punched his lights out when he did. I didn't get in trouble that time because Six had a black eye from the encounter. But he just called me stupid. One's going to kill me."

_~Eight, you are very, very sensitive to that word. They should understand that!~_

"Why would they?" Eight asked angrily. "They all get great grades. Even Six is brilliant, even if it isn't with science and math and stuff. I'm just the dumb muscle."

Nine waved his hand and his iPod appeared. He tapped on the screen several times. The beautiful tones of a piano came through, followed by chimes and a soft guitar. Eight relaxed, humming along until the closing notes played. He sighed.

"Mm, that was nice."

 _~I know nobody else your age, or anywhere near it, who could compose that.~_ Nine said pointedly. _~Not only that, you are fluid between every single kind of music you've ever tried. You can write classical, country, rap, hip-hop, jazz, and everything in between. So don't just call yourself dumb. You might not be good at school in general, but you are not stupid. Understand?~_

Eight looked thoughtful. "I…I guess. But everybody else knows I'm stupid."

Nine rolled his eyes then crawled into bed with him, pressing close. _~Mind if I sleep here tonight? I've got a feeling my nightmares are going to visit.~_

"Eh, go ahead," Eight said as he pulled the blankets around them. "I like to cuddle. Usually it's Six, though."

Nine grunted, using what was left of his vocal chords to make a physical noise. Eight hummed. This vacation was going to be quite nice. Oh, yes. Quite nice, he thought as he put on some soft music. Quite nice indeed.


	3. Definitely Nine

They traveled the world, and actually didn't get back in time for school. Eight didn't care. He got to hear all sorts of music. He went to concerts and operas with Nine, on the edge of his seat half the time and relaxed back to let the music flow over him the other half. They ate some of the weirdest foods that he had ever heard of, and most of it was good. But…Eight missed his friends. After all, they were his family.

Eight and Nine sat at a restaurant in Italy on the night before their plane left, eating fresh ravioli with alfredo sauce and a delicious pizza, splitting each others' dishes.

"They'll love you, Nine," Eight said for the millionth time, taking a bite of pizza.

Nine chewed on the cheese-filled pasta, shaking his head. _~I'm too broken, Eight.~_

Eight's eyes dashed down to his throat scars, which were covered saved for a small bit that peeked above the stylish scarf he wore.

"Your scars are only a small part of you. They don't define you," Eight said seriously. "Now, I'm not going home unless you do. I'm just as scared that One is going to throw me out on my ass because of my grades, the fight, and the fact that I've been gone for six months."

_~You'll be with me?~_

"I will be with you…if you're with me."

Nine took a deep breath. _~Fine. Now, let's go sleep. We leave out early tomorrow morning.~_

The flight was noneventful, and they arrived in front of the house, Eight handing the man driving the taxi a hundred-dollar bill.

"Keep the change. And thanks. Merry Christmas."

The man smiled, "Merry Christmas to you two, too. Go warm up."

Eight turned to the house as the car drove away. "Are they not home?"

Nine's eyes turned bright green. _~Six is an actor this year and he's the lead in the Christmas play. They went to watch him.~_

"Oh. Well, let's get inside. It's starting to snow again."

A hot shower and a set of comfortable clothes each later, and they settled on the couch to listen to Christmas music. Their eyes roved over the heavily decorated room. Nine stared at the nativity scene that One had put up.

"I don't know where he got that. But he is adamant that we never touch it," Eight said lazily.

 _~It was his mother's. One of the only things his father didn't give away when she was gone.~_ Nine replied.

"Oh. I should've guessed. He did tell us what happened once, but he doesn't like to talk about it."

_~It's kinda like why I have scars. Not something you like to remember.~_

Eight nodded then jumped violently as the door opened. His friends were frozen, looking at him in shock. Then they lunged, hugging him, kissing him, hitting him playfully. Nine watched, resting his chin on his upraised knees so that they wouldn't see his brokenness immediately. But One was looking at him sharply. He slammed his staff on the floor, switching his gaze to Eight as the others parted. He walked over, eyes appraising. Eight stood up, looking down.

"Hi, Boss," he whispered.

One slapped him, forcing him to sit down hard. He gaped at his leader as tears filled the red eyes.

"Don't you _ever_ do something like that again!" the man spat brokenly.

Eight nodded, rubbing his bright red cheek as he held out his other arm. One sat down beside him, shaking as he embraced his runaway.

"I've missed you, Eight. We all have. Please don't do it again. I couldn't bear it."

"I've missed you, too, Boss. I just…I got in that fight, and my grades, and you were mad at me for other stuff, so I thought some time away might help, and—"

"Hush," One scolded. "It is Christmas Eve and we are not discussing this now. But Eight, let me ask you this one thing. Do you think I would ever, _ever_ be mad enough at you that I would want you to just up and disappear for six months?"

"I…" Eight looked away.

One looked surprised and horrified. "Eight! No! Never! Never ever! Don't even think that! Do you understand me?"

"Yes, Boss."

"Good. Now…who is that?"

"Huh? Oh!" Eight looked at Nine with a bright smile. "This is Joshua Wallace!"

"And you brought him here why?"

"Because he's Nine."

Their faces flashed in brief hostility. One took a deep breath. "Eight, I know you mean well, but you shouldn't make promises that you cannot keep. You know that if there is a Nine out there, we've got to all agree on him. Now, he can stay the night because it's late and the roads are extremely icy, but then he must go home. Where does he live?

"That building on Eighth and Jenson," Eight replied.

"I didn't know there were apartment buildings over there," Seven said in surprise.

The twins shook their heads violently, projecting the building Eight was talking about.

"That's got to be condemned!" Five exclaimed.

"It is," Eight admitted. "But he has nowhere else to go. He's a runaway kid, has been on his own for two years, and there is no way in hell he's going back."

One pursed his lips at the curse, but turned his gaze to Nine. "Is this true?"

Nine looked away, shrugging, his cheeks extremely warm. One's eyes squinted. There was something on his neck. He reached over to tilt the boy's head up. The next thing he knew was a sharp pain in his hand. One swore, drawing back. His hand was bloody from a bite to his thumb. Eight stood protectively in front of Nine as Seven drew a knife. Two doctored the bite, One's eyes boring into Nine. The leader stormed over.

"Stand up, boy!"

Nine did so, keeping his head down. Eight caught One's hand before he could try again.

"He has trauma in his past, Boss. Major trauma. Movement like that is threatening to him. It's better to ask."

One studied his follower's eyes, seeing truth in them. He nodded, slipping closer before ducking his head to meet the frightened golden eyes.

"Please look up? We're not going to hurt you."

Nine face turned even redder as he slowly raised his head. Every eye landed on the vicious scars. When they just stared, Nine began to cry, hiding his face. One pried the hands away.

"Hey, it's okay. It's just startling. We don't mean anything by it. Aw, shh, come here…"

One pulled the boy to his chest and felt the zing. It was the feeling that he belonged with them, and he knew without a doubt that this boy was Nine.

"Hey, Boss? Is there any dinner? I mean, we got off the plane and came here. I don't care what I eat, as long as I eat," Eight said when Nine had calmed down. "And I know he's hungry, too."

"Come along, you two," One said, leading them into the kitchen. Zero followed and made them some chicken soup.

"It's not much, but we have a veritable feast tomorrow," Zero said, rubbing his hands together eagerly.

"Your turkey is always the best," Eight said as he ate rather greedily.

"Eight, please," One said in exasperation.

"I'm sorry, Boss," Eight said. "I've just missed Zero's cooking. Isn't it good, Nine?"

Nine nodded, but he clearly hadn't eaten anything.

"Oh, come now, I'm not that bad a cook," Zero teased.

Nine blinked and looked up with a small smile before eating his food. When he was done, he went to sit on the couch, watching the others come in, dressed for bed with wet hair. One came in.

"I have a room prepared for you, Nine."

Dead silence greeted his words. Nine shrugged.

"Would you like to go to bed?"

He nodded.

"Follow me then."

The room was spacious and simple. Nine smiled at One until he was left alone then he began to cry. One went out to the living room where Two practically leaped at him.

"You just called him Nine."

One shrugged. "He is Nine."

"How do you know?" Seven asked. "I mean, he bit you. Bad."

"I know the same way I knew with all of you. I felt it. As for the bite, the scars explain enough. I scared him pretty badly. I will apologize tomorrow. He needs some time to get acquainted with his surroundings. So leave him alone tonight. Now, bed, all of you. You're fed, showered, and it's time to sleep."

Eight had been standing in the doorway of the kitchen, and he headed for his room. He paused before he went down the hall.

"I love you, One. And I really am sorry I scared you so bad."

One smiled. "You are quite forgiven. But this does not mean we don't talk about what happened before you left. There are at least two serious matters we must discuss when the holidays are over. But don't you worry about it for now. Merry Christmas, Eight."

"Merry Christmas, One."

One poured himself a glass of wine when everybody else had gone to bed, sitting to ponder things. Another Stitchpunk, as he called his followers. It was a surreal thought. It had been well over a year since he'd gotten Eight. And now there was a Nine. He smiled fondly, sipping his drink. This was going to be an interesting Christmas.

He had just washed his glass when there was a terrible disturbance that rang through his head. Setting everything down, he quickly went to Six's room, opening the door to find the strange boy sleeping peacefully. One shut the door, very confused. He glanced at Nine's room then reached for the doorknob. He stopped himself.

"No. He's fine. I'm just paranoid."

With that, One shut the lights off and went to bed.


	4. Nightmares

One paused out of view outside the kitchen door when Eight's horrified question reached him.

"What do you mean you had nightmares, Nine?"

 _~I just did, Eight.~_ Nine said. _~So I got up and made breakfast. Let Zero have a break.~_

"You should have come to my room. You're welcome to snuggle with me. Or you could have gone to One or Six! They'd understand better than me!"

One came around the corner to see Nine shrug miserably. Eight went silent when he saw his leader, looking down at the plate of homemade waffles. One pursed his lips.

"I am hungry."

_~What kind of fruit topping?~_

"Cherries, if you have them. And lots of whipped cream."

Nine smiled softly, but his eyes were pure exhaustion. He heaped One's plate then filled a gravy boat with syrup and placed between them. One poured the syrup, cut into it, and took a big bite. He chewed thoughtfully then swallowed.

"This is very good, Nine. Your own recipe?"

_~One I got from Belgium.~_

"Well, it is very, very good. I recommend it, Zero!"

Said man walked in the door, staring in shock. "I don't have to cook this morning?"

"Nine was ever so kind as to get up and make us Belgium waffles! Pick your topping!"

"Mm, I see blueberries!"

Nine served it up, and Zero ate happily. One by one, the others joined them, and they all complimented him on how good it was. One noticed that Nine didn't eat.

"That was delicious, Nine. You should have some."

"He doesn't eat when he…you know…" Eight went from speaking to muttering.

"No. We don't," Two said, frowning.

 _~One heard you talking, Eight.~_ Nine said, but he looked so defeated.

"So it was you having nightmares last night," One said seriously. "I felt you get scared awake. I checked on Six, but I didn't want to bother you with what I considered to be something so far-fetched. Forgive me for that. Because of me you spent a sleepless night."

Nine shrugged. _~I've spent a lot of them, even with Eight.~_

"That doesn't make them more bearable," Six said firmly.

"I'll give you a sleeping pill. Let you sleep for a little while," Two said.

_~I'll just have more nightmares.~_

"How do you know?" Five asked gently.

Nine turned to look at them, and his eyes were slightly glowing. Six walked over when he saw dimness floating around the green.

"What is that?"

Everybody else gathered close, staring at his eyes until he lowered his head.

"He sees the past," Eight said from his chair.

"Oh. So those are ghosts," Seven said with a nod.

"That's what he calls 'em," Eight said as the others turned to look at her. "He has really, really, really bad visions and nightmares when they're there. I think it's from the stress of meeting you."

"I can understand that," Five said with a nod. "I don't like meeting new people. They look at my face and just…stare. It makes me feel embarrassed and ashamed."

Nine nodded, pulling off the fancy scarf around his neck to bare his scars. _~I understand. It hurts to see them whispering, pointing at you like you're the freak. They don't think that we didn't ask for our scars. They just see the marks and assume we've done something horrible to get them.~_

Five's eye lit up, nodding eagerly. "Yes! You understand!"

Nine smiled, and they saw exhaustion in his eyes again. Two left and returned with a small, round, white pill.

"You need food in your gut. At least a little."

Nine ate a waffle, swallowing more than was necessary, then took the pill. One made him lay down on the couch to be monitored. Zero started to cook Christmas dinner. He'd gotten the turkey in at four, and now had to make everything else. Two watched Nine carefully. He wriggled and writhed, tossing and turning. The second in command called One and Six in.

"That shouldn't let him have that many dreams. He should be on his ass and sleeping peacefully."

"I told you about how bad they were," Eight said. "It helps when he shares, but he doesn't like to."

One sat down and put Nine's head in his lap. Six curled up at his feet. They probed with their energy, very gently at first. There was a resistance, so the two males nodded at each other then pushed fast and hard. They were swept away in darkness. When they came to, Nine was glaring at them, tears in his eyes.

_~You had no right to do that.~_

"Are you more rested?" One asked as Six looked embarrassed.

Nine blushed. _~Yes…But you had no right to do that. Would you want me to do that to you?~_

"Yes."

He looked surprised. _~Really?~_

"Yeah," Six said with a smile. "I would rather share my nightmares and get a good night's sleep than not sleep for days at a time."

"The same is true for me," One replied. "Now, do you need to talk about those visions?"

_~No. I need food.~_

"Good! Dinner will be ready in ten minutes!" Zero said cheerfully. "Here are some mashed potatoes to hold you over."

The three split the potatoes and soon found themselves at the table. One was handed the carving knife and he smiled.

"May God bless this bounty that he has given us!"

He began to cut the meat, and the whirring sound made Nine cringe violently. He recognized that sound. One and Six apparently did, too, because they both let out little screams as One dropped the knife.

"Oh, shit, Nine, they saw _that_?!" Eight asked in dismay.

 _~I think so.~_ Nine replied miserably. _~I'm sorry.~_

"What was that?" One demanded, quickly turning off the knife with a shudder.

_~What did you see?~_

Six shivered. "There were a lot of things I saw. A lot of knives and blood."

"That noise," One groaned. "What was that noise?"

_~You don't want to know.~_

"I think they need to, Nine," Eight said softly, embracing him.

 _~Fine. That was the saw they used to cut the bodies to pieces once they had died from blood loss, starvation, or dehydration.~_ Nine said tightly, eyes tired again.

Silence. They all looked disturbed. Eight pulled him closer as the poor boy began to cry. One pulled him to himself, stroking his head gently.

"Oh, my sweet boy, what have you been through?"

 _~Hell on Earth.~_ Nine whispered, clutching at him hard.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

_~I want to eat Christmas dinner. I don't want to think about what they did to me. Please, I can't do it right now.~_

"Then we will get me a regular knife and we will eat turkey until we burst," One said firmly.

Nine happily ate until he was full. Then he ate pie. They retired to the living room, and Nine snuggled into Eight, yawning tiredly.

 _~Can we do presents now?~_ Three asked.

"Certainly," Two said jovially.

"Eight, Nine, we'll get you something later," One promised.

"Aw, I'm just glad to be home. But we do need new clothes, especially Nine."

"Then new clothes you shall get. Now, presents!"

That night, Nine was in the shower, rubbing his throat as he heard that buzzing. The buzzing grew louder and louder. The ground suddenly rushed up to meet him…

A soft, cool washrag was being passed over his face. Nine let out a pitiful noise, hands groping until they were held. One shushed him gently.

"It's okay. It's okay. Relax. I know. Just let us help you."

Nine let out another noise, tossing his head back and forth.

"Nine, please, relax," Eight begged.

"Is there anything that will help?" Five asked.

Eight gasped then ran for his stereo. For twenty minutes, he played Nine's favorite songs, and inch by inch, the poor boy relaxed. He began to cry, and One gently wiped away the tears.

 _~What happened?~_ Nine finally asked, shivering as he sat up.

He frowned when he saw that he was covered in a towel, but had nothing else on. His hair was wet. And his back…

Nine quickly pulled the towel around to cover his back, drawing his knees up and blushing hotly, glancing at Seven.

"I live with eight males," Seven said with a snort. "I have seen all of them naked multiple times. You have absolutely nothing to worry about there."

Nine shrugged, shivering. Eight ran to get him some clothes then helped him in them. The golden-eyed boy was still shivering, so One got a big blanket, wrapping him up.

"He's going into shock, One," Two said with a head shake. "He might have to go to the hospital."

"Wrap him tightly," One said. "Get him a hot drink. If he gets worse, we will take him in."

An hour later, Nine had stopped shivering and was sipping his third hot chocolate. He was snuggled close to One, nuzzling him every once in a while, so he knew for a fact the man was there. One happily pet him, stroking his hair.

"Feel better?" One finally asked as the boy yawned.

_~Yeah. I've got a headache, though.~_

Two fetched Tylenol immediately, which Nine took with the last of his hot chocolate. He then closed his eyes to rest.

"Eight, would you please carry him to my room. Six, please sit with him until I get my shower," One instructed, peeling his shirt off as he headed for the bathroom.

Fifteen minutes later, One walked into his room to see Six cuddling with the boy. He slipped beneath the blankets, pulling him close.

"We might be in for a long night," Six warned.

"That's fine. As long as it helps."

They fell asleep. Six had been right, of course, and the nightmares captured them almost immediately.


	5. Hard Conversations

One gratefully took the coffee that Two offered him. Six swallowed large mouthfuls as soon as it was handed to him.

"You two haven't looked that bad in over a year," Seven said concernedly.

"That boy has a past more screwed than mine," Six moaned, tears in his eyes.

"Shh, it's okay. It's okay, Six," One said, petting him gently.

"What's his story?" Five asked, buttering a piece of toast and handing it off to his leader.

"It involves a cult that sacrificed people," Six muttered. "He saw such terrible shit. Mind-bending, psycho-inducing shit! It's a fucking miracle he isn't insane!"

"Six!" One barked. "Language!"

"You put it in a better way then!" Six screamed, his eyes flashing green.

Nine walked in shyly and lightly touched him. Six turned to stare at him as he began to cry.

_~Six, stop thinking about it. I'm here, I'm alive. That's all that matters. You can't look at all of my past at the same time. If you need to, we can break it down piece by piece. But you need to calm down. Breathe. Focus on breathing.~_

Six obeyed until he was calm, and he wiped his eyes. "Thank you. I feel better now."

Nine nodded. _~Good. Now can I have some coffee?~_

"Certainly," One said, pouring him a cup. "Sugar?"

_~Three spoonfuls. I need a kick in the morning.~_

One stirred it, handing it over. Nine downed the whole cup in under a minute. _~Mm, strong coffee.~_

"I enjoy a strong brew," One replied, sipping his drink. "Another cup?"

_~No, thank you. I would like breakfast, though.~_

"Toast and jelly today," Five said. "White or wheat?"

_~White. With grape jelly.~_

"You got it."

Eight walked in, yawning. "Morning."

"Good morning, Eight. I hope you're well rested," One said cheerily.

Eight froze before he poured his coffee. "I hate it when you say that. Why?"

"We have a very important discussion to have."

Eight blushed hotly, focusing on his mug as the liquid splashed into it. "Oh. Right."

"After breakfast, we will all gather in the living room. Yes?"

The large boy nodded. "Yes, Boss."

"Good. I believe I'll make some scrambled eggs. Scrambled eggs on toast sounds divine to me right now. Anybody else?"

Nine bit into a piece of toast, raising his hand as soon as he could. _~Me!~_

"I'll take some eggs," Zero said, downing the rest of his orange juice.

"Me, too," Two said.

Five nodded, but everybody else shook their heads. Eight looked a little green, taking his coffee into the living room. He sat silently as the others ate then joined him. One set his drink on the table then took Eight's hand.

"Now, which do you want to talk about first? Your grades or the fight?"

"Neither," Eight sighed. "But the grades led to the fight."

"Then we shall talk about the grades first. Three, would you go and get Eight's report card? It's in the top drawer of my bedside table in the blue folder."

Three nodded and was back in a minute, handing the manila envelope to his leader. One removed the thick paper.

"Gym was great as usual. Music was perfect. Government was a B, which is good. English III is a B- which I approve of. Then…"

"Yeah, yeah," Eight said bitterly. "Algebra II, D-, Earth Science, D, and History, F. I'm sorry I'm so damn stupid."

One blinked at him. "You're not stupid."

"Yeah? D for dumbass and F for failure."

His leader was clearly shocked. "Eight, you can't think you're stupid!"

"Why not? Nobody else got an F, or even a D! I'm the only stupid one here!"

"No! You are _not_ stupid!" One boomed, red eyes flashing dangerously. "You are smart! Brilliant even! Just because you're not booksmart doesn't mean anything! We love you the way you are! Do you know how we missed your impromptu songs? Your wit, which is sharper than any of ours? No, you don't get perfect grades, but that doesn't mean anything! I just want you to do your best! And Eight, I _know_ that an F is not your best! I know it isn't!"

Eight sniffled, wiping his eyes, but the tears fell anyway. "I try, One. I try so hard, but it's never good enough. I don't want to disappoint you, any of you, but I feel like that's all I do."

"You don't disappoint any of us, Eight," Two said gently, reaching over to catch a tear. "We know you're not us. You still write us beautiful music and cheer us up when we need it most. We will gladly help you with your schoolwork. You don't have to worry about that. It's when you run away for six months when we have a problem."

"Was it the grades that made you do that?" Five asked.

"That and the fight," Eight replied. "I was afraid that One would…kick me out."

"You clearly don't know me very well. What happened in the fight?" his leader asked.

"Greg called me stupid."

One pursed his lips. "I see. I would expect you to talk to me once you kicked his ass."

Eight blinked, glancing up. "You're not mad?"

"I would allow Five to beat somebody's ass if they mentioned his left eye in a bad way. I would allow the twins to knock somebody's head off if they broke one of their items. I would allow Six to do everything short of ending somebody's world if they tore apart a drawing. You have the same right in this case. Not only is Greg completely wrong about you being stupid, but it clearly hurts you very badly. I personally will go after him if he calls you stupid again. This I promise to you."

Eight smiled. "I…Thanks, One. I…I appreciate it. I really, really do."

"There, see? Wasn't that better than you thought it would be?" One asked, patting his hand.

"Yeah. You didn't kill me for the fight, which I was really, really scared of."

"Good to know that I scare the big, bad Eight," One teased.

Eight laughed, embracing his leader. "Love ya, One."

"And I love you, my little Stitchpunk," One purred, kissing his cheek. "Now, speaking of discussions…Nine? Would you like to talk?"

_~You're going to keep asking until I tell you, so I might as well do it now. But I demand to be treated to dinner, with dessert. Food…helps.~_

"We can go wherever you want," One promised. "Now come here. Sit right beside me."

Nine stood up and settled in between One and Eight. He was shivering slightly.

_~Forgive me if I have a seizure. Remembering…is difficult.~_

"Hold that thought," Two said, pulling Five up with him. When they had gathered a blanket and several medical supplies, including a suspiciously full needle, they returned to their seats.

"Don't worry too much. I have seizures sometimes," Six said. "And One has had two since I got here. It just comes with our territory. Now, where do we begin?"

Nine rested his head against One's shoulder and took a deep breath as he stared at nothing. _~I was a middle-class boy. My sister was healthy and whole, four years older than me. Our lives were…perfect. Or damn near. Then…Angelique got sick. Really sick. Mom and Dad did everything for her, but…the cancer finally won. We were flat busted broke, hospital bills out the ass. Just when it looked like the bank was going to take our home…Andrew came along.~_

Nine shuddered, closing his eyes. One squeezed him gently. "It's okay. It's just a memory."

_~Andrew told me that I fascinated him. He could feel I was different than everybody else. He told me that he would pay every bill for Mom and Dad. That they wouldn't be in debt anymore. But I would have to go with him and not see them again.~_

"And you did." It wasn't a question. Nine nodded anyway.

_~Yeah. To be fair, they paid all the bills. But they also made my parents move. They suffered an accident a year ago. And yes, it was a real accident. I went to their funerals.~_

Nine paused as tears wound down his face. _~I'm glad they're gone.~_ He finally said, opening his eyes again. _~I wouldn't want them to know what happened to me.~_

"What happened?" Five asked after a minute.

Nine stood slowly, removing his shirt. They found themselves looking at scars. Three nines set into his back. They all spasmed violently as reality distorted. A blade carved the numbers brutally. Eight screamed Nine's name and reality righted itself. One pulled Nine close, stroking the mangled flesh.

"Oh, Nine."

_~Yeah. But those aren't nines.~_

"The Mark of the Beast," Six whispered.

Nine nodded. _~Yeah. They marked me then began siphoning my blood. Because of my powers, their gods were especially pleased. I knew nothing but pain, humiliation, and the death of weaker people for two years. I finally ran away. They're still after me. Which is why I travel so much.~_

"They will not touch you again," One vowed.

 _~Your past is scary.~_ Three said shyly.

_~Yeah. I know. That's why I have so many nightmares. Which I must apologize for. You don't have to help me tonight.~_

"Nonsense!" One said with a wave of his hand. "We will help you as long as the nightmares last. And I think we deserve a nap."

"That'd be really, really nice," Six said, eyes dim.

"Three, Four, could you please make a pallet on the floor for us?" One asked.

They nodded. It was the softest thing Nine had ever felt. He fell into an exhausted sleep. One and Six followed quickly. They were more prepared for the nightmares this time. They saw things that were too horrifying for words, things nobody should go through, let alone a thirteen-year-old. They woke up more tired than they'd been, and One and Six just lay there, holding him while he shivered and cried. Zero hesitantly walked over.

"Um, One? Lunch is ready. Grilled cheese and tomato soup."

"Good. I need a good meal," One replied, helping Six and Nine to their feet. Nine absolutely refused food until One threatened to spoonfeed him. Five minutes after he finished eating, they all found out why it was a bad idea for him to eat. Three held him as he violently ejected the sandwich and soup all over the kitchen floor. He dry-heaved for two minutes afterwards, tears streaking down his face. One helped him to the bathroom while Two ran a hot bath.

"You gonna be okay, Nine?" Eight asked as the boy was stripped of his clothes.

Nine looked so pained, shaking his head as tears came back into his eyes. _~I want to die!~_

"Hush," One scolded, helping him into the tub. "You don't want to die. You just feel bad. I need you to tell me how you feel bad."

_~My head hurts, my stomach hurts, all my muscles are hurting. I'm thirsty beyond belief, and I just want sleep. Is that too much to ask?~_

One nodded. "I'm exhausted, too. I know Six is. I know how tired you feel. We've felt it before and we'll feel it again. But know that, as much as it might not be comforting, we feel just as bad as you."

Nine relaxed back into the water, crying as he was handed some Sprite to soothe his thirst and stomach. One held his hand, talking about his college work. The boy fell asleep and Eight picked him up, helped his leader dry him off then pulled pants on him. As he settled him on One's bed, Six walked in, freshly showered. He crawled into bed beside Nine hugging him. He paused.

"The darkness is…different now."

"Don't complain, Six. We just need to be there for him," One said, coming in with three bottles of water to set on his bedside table.

"I'm not complaining. It's…different."

One lightly placed a hand on Nine's head, frowning. "Oh my. It's…dissipating?"

Eight nodded. "Nine fluctuates really bad. He's never really had stability in his energy life. You two will be very good for him. but he's afraid that it'll take a while."

"If it takes awhile, so be it," Six said with a nod. One was clearly pleased with that answer, kissing his Stitchpunk's head tenderly.

"Good boy. Now, Eight, if you will leave us alone. We need to sleep if we can."

"Night, Boss."

One shut off the light and slipped beneath the blankets, embracing Nine and relaxing into sleep.


	6. Family

Nine woke up, yawning and stretching. One grunted, wrapping his arms around Nine's middle. The boy turned to snuggle close. Six pressed close behind him. They lay there, fading in and out of sleep until there was a soft knock on the door. One finally woke up, sitting up.

"Come in."

The door opened and Five stood there. "Good morning. You all look better."

"Mm, I feel very rested. We had very pleasant dreams," Six purred.

"Yes," One said, rubbing his eyes. "Is breakfast ready?"

"Lunch is."

"Shit, we slept a long time," Six sighed.

"We need to get dressed, but we shall be out directly."

"Alright."

Nine came into the dining room to find a large plate of chicken strips and macaroni with green beans. He sat down as One walked in with Six, taking their places. They began to eat, and there was no talking as the three vision-seers shoveled down their food as fast as they could while being neat. All of them cleaned their plates then downed their juice.

"Mm, that was good, Zero," Six sighed.

"Have ya balanced out?" Eight asked Nine.

Nine nodded. _~For now.~_

"Good," One said. "You feel rested?"

_~I do. I feel weak, but rested.~_

Two felt his forehead. "You have a fever."

_~My body is still recovering. I might throw up again. Eating my food like that might have been a mistake.~_

"Five, go get some Finnegrin."

Nine rubbed it on his wrists then went to rest with a glass of Sprite. He sipped it slowly. Eight joined him.

"I…I wrote a new song if you want to hear it."

 _~I love all of your music, Eight.~_ Nine said.

Everybody gathered as their largest member took his place behind his keyboard. He began to play, singing a lovely little tune about family. There was generous applause when he was done.

"That was wonderful!" One praised, making Eight beam and blush.

"Thanks, Boss!"

"And that is very true!" Six exclaimed. "We are family."

Nine watched them, his smile fading as a voice came from his past, harsh and unforgiving. _"We are your family. Nobody else will be. And if they are…"_ _There was a cruel smile and the soulless eyes promised death._


	7. Hopsital

One ran through the hospital, Zero and Two behind him. They came around a corner into a large room, and their eyes landed on wound after wound. Eyes looked up at them, and nurses ran over to shoo them away.

"If you touch me, you will be unconscious," One said coldly, making them freeze. "Now, I am the one that watches over these teens. I have the proof you need here in my wallet. I will show you, then you will move out of our way or you will wake up in another room with IV's hanging from you."

They confirmed what he said then led him over to his Stitchpunks. Two became analytical.

"How bad is it?"

"They have all have some level of blood loss, Jonathan," the doctor said as he came in. "Junia is in a different room. She has quite the wound on her back that needs treated. Jacob's hands have many lacerations, and his wrist was slit very deeply, Joseph's got a gunshot wound that barely missed his left kidney. Daniel's face is terribly cut up on the left side. Zacharias is still unconscious, was brutally sliced up and had to get over a hundred stitches."

One blinked as the doctor went silent, glancing at the other two. "What about Zebulon and Joshua?"

The doctor looked up. "Nobody else was checked in with them."

"One?" asked a small voice, and One was by Five's side in an instant, petting him.

"What happened, Five? What happened to Six and Nine?"

"The men in the black hoods took them," Five groaned. "They had knives and guns. They were going to take Seven, but I shot one with a gun that Six had and they backed off after cutting her open. I think their knives were poisoned, cuz I got really sick once they cut me."

"Their knives were poisoned," the doctor confirmed. "We're not really sure what it was, but they all came in vomiting blood. We have treated them and they seem to be fine now."

One pursed his lips, and he looked over his wounded family. When the doctor was gone, he looked at his older companions.

"I will be back with Six and Nine."

"I'm driving," Zero said plainly.

"Then get your ass in the car."

One let his energy spread out and pinpointed them outside of town in the caves. Zero parked and One made a gun and a knife materialize for Zero.

"If anything moves that does not look like me, Six, or Nine, you shoot its fucking head off. Am I understood?"

Zero checked the clip, slamming it home. "Don't you worry about that. You get our family members back."

One turned and walked into the caves. A man stopped him with a knife.

"Get out of my way or you will die."

The man snarled and lunged. He landed on the floor half a second later with a bullet in his brain. Three more people showed up.

"Oh, you picked the wrong damn day," One said through clenched teeth, raising the gun again.

He didn't count the people after the sixth one. When he got to his Stitchpunks, everybody was backed against the wall. Six and Nine were semi-conscious, eyes dim. They were clearly drugged. The remaining five men watched closely.

"I'm going to kill you," One said, red eyes gleaming with that promise.

"Take them," the one with the red-lined hood said.

"You'll just try to get them later. You are about to meet your maker."

They all pulled guns. Shots were fired. One grunted in pain as his shoulder was hit, but seconds later there was nobody left to shoot him. After binding his wound tightly with his shirt, he called Zero in. They knelt down next to their friends to assess the damage. There was a lot of blood and it appeared that Nine's scars were reopened on his back.

"They are drugged," Zero said with a nod.

"I know," One said tightly, his voice holding the pain of his wound. "We have to get them to the hospital."

They got Six and Nine to the car and rushed them in. They were taken back for testing as One was led to the room where his other Stitchpunks were awake. They cringed at the shoulder wound.

"I do believe the bullet is still in my shoulder," One told the doctor.

He was given anesthetic and the bullet was removed, the wound sewn shut. One sipped on water that Two shoved into his hands, looking around at the others.

"Is everybody alright?"

"Did you kill them?" Eight asked darkly.

"Everybody in there," One replied.

"Good. Is Nine okay? And Six?"

"I'm not sure. They were drugged with something. And Nine was bleeding out of his back."

"Oh, no," Eight moaned.

"One, you need to rest. You lost quite a bit of blood yourself," Two said.

"I…could actually use some sleep," One said, deflating as exhaustion caught up with him.

"Good. Lie down. Zero and I will wait for Six and Nine. The rest of you sleep, too."

They sat there for over three hours, talking quietly until Six and Nine were wheeled in. Two stood, going over to check vitals. Nine's was slow in a very scary way.

"How are they?" Zero asked.

"Joshua needs to stay overnight for sure. And I would highly recommend that Zebulon stay, too. The rest of them could probably be checked out."

"What's wrong with Josh?" One asked tiredly.

"He was dosed with at least twice the amount of whatever drug they were given as Zebulon was. He also had a dislocated shoulder, which tells me he fought whoever was administering the drug until he went down. He fought us as well as he could a couple times. Hence why he's lashed down."

"You all go home," One said. "I'll stay with Joshua. I want Zebulon to go home so Jonathan can watch over him."

"Are you sure, One?" Zero asked.

"I am. Get them home safe, Two. Understand?"

Ten minutes later, One was sitting in a chair right beside Nine, who was hooked up to an IV of something that One couldn't be bothered to remember. One held his hand, squeezing every once in a while. He began to drift off, leaning against Nine's bed. He was woken rather abruptly by a screech, and he stood up, warding off the men with needles with a glare so sharp it should have cut them. They froze, eyes dashing to the writhing form of Nine.

"Hey, hey, calm down," One said softly, reaching over to take his hand. Crazed, golden eyes looked at him and Nine immediately started to calm. One nodded. "That's right. That's right, I'm here. They won't touch you anymore. I'm here for you, Nine. Relax. Shh, calm down."

Nine stilled slowly, eyes glued on his leader. He wriggled his hand, trying to touch One. Despite the shouts of protest from the nurses, One undid the strap to take his hand.

"See? I'm right here. Relax. They won't hurt you."

Nine took a deep breath, relaxing back entirely. One smiled.

"You can put the needles down," he said tightly, glancing disapprovingly at the men.

"I have never seen anybody do that," the larger man said in shock as the doctor came in.

"He knows me. He trusts me. That is why that worked," One said with a sharp nod.

"How are you, Joshua?" the doctor asked.

"He is mute and needs to have his hands free to communicate," One said, untying the other straps and helping him sit up. "Are you alright, Josh?"

 _"I feel slow and I have a headache,"_ Nine signed sloppily. One reported what he said.

"Jay, would you please get him something for his headache? Now, Joshua, follow my finger with your eyes only."

After several tests, the doctor shook his head. "He is still drugged. I think he should eat something. You, too, David. Just use the phone. I want you to stay right with him, do you understand? He is dangerous to himself and others in this state of mind, and you seem to be able to keep him calm."

"Trust me. I am not leaving his side," One promised. "Thank you, doctor."

One called in for food, which arrived promptly. Nine was so clumsy that One had to help him eat before he ate his own meal.

 _~I don't feel good.~_ Nine muttered, looking up with pained eyes.

"I know. You just need to rest. Take a deep breath and relax. Hopefully, you'll be released tomorrow and we can go home where Two will take care of us."

Nine closed his eyes, grasping One's hand tightly. One watched him fall asleep, yawning. His night was going to be very, very long.


	8. Healing Begins

Nine was settled on the couch beside Eight, who put an arm around him. One collapsed on the other side, eyes closing immediately. Two picked him up with Zero's help.

"We'll take care of Nine, One. You need to get some rest," Zero said gently as they carried him to his bed.

Two rushed back. "I'm going to give you a physical, Nine. Please stand."

Zero helped to support Nine as Two stripped his shirt off and looked over his back. The skin was red around the cuts, which matched his scars perfectly.

"We'll need to wash these with soap and alcohol to keep infection away," Two said. "Which will sting like a son of a bitch. You need water, food, and a lot of rest. Zero is preparing a nice, hearty meal for all of us. It should be ready soon. For now, you need a big glass of water, yes?"

 _~Yes, please.~_ Nine said tiredly.

He sipped his water as he, the twins, Five, Six, Seven, and Eight relaxed back and watched a comedian until lunch was ready. They were handed plates. Nine picked at his food. Eight touched him lightly.

"Please eat."

_~I hurt.~_

"How?" Two asked. Nine shrugged. "No, I need you to tell me."

_~My muscles are spasming. Including my stomach. I will lose anything solid I try to put in it.~_

Six nodded. "My stomach hurts, too."

_~It's the drugs they use. It makes you nauseated for days after you get off of it. The best thing for me and Six to eat is broth. I'm sorry, but we can't eat this.~_

Two whisked the plates away as Zero hurried to make a broth. He brought two steaming bowls in and set them in their laps.

"Careful. They're hot," Zero said.

"Sorry about all this, Zero," Six said in embarrassment.

"You threw up everything you ate for dinner yesterday," the man replied with a frown. "If you can't handle food right now, broth is better. I don't want you to throw up anymore. So stop apologizing and get something in your stomach."

Six sipped the broth, humming. "Ooh, Zero, this is delicious."

 _~I agree.~_ Nine said, spooning the liquid into his mouth.

"The fish is good, too," Eight said with a smile.

"Thank you," Zero said, clearly pleased.

They finished then rested. One staggered in around five, downing two glasses of water before assessing his friends.

"Three? How are you?"

_~My hands are stiff and sore, and I feel weak.~_

"Four?"

_~My left side hurts, and it's hard to sit up. I feel weak, too.~_

"Five?"

"My face hurts. I can't really make any expressions without it hurting. My mind hurts a little bit."

"Six?"

Six shuddered. "I feel a little spacy. My mind is numb, for lack of a better term. My entire body is spasming, and my stomach is churning. I also feel weak from blood loss, and I'm sore all over."

One nodded. "Seven?"

"It hurts to move anything. My back hurts really bad."

"It's okay, sweetheart. What about you, Eight?"

"I just wanna sit here and not move, Boss," the large boy admitted. "Because everything hurts."

One kissed him lightly then turned to Nine. "What about you?"

_~Everything Six said, but probably worse because I got a bigger dose. Plus what Seven said.~_

"I am just thankful that you're all breathing and functioning properly."

_~One? I'm sorry for all the trouble. I told you they were after me…~_

"Do not be sorry. They will never bother you or anybody else again. I made sure of that. Now, we all need to rest. Zero and Two won't mind taking care of us, will you?"

"Not at all," Two said with a smile.

"I don't mind," Zero replied.

"Excellent," One said, sinking into his chair. "What's for supper?"

"Lasagna for everybody but Six and Nine. They get broth," Zero answered.

"Mm, Italian," Five purred.

One sat there, leaning back and looking over his Stitchpunks. He sat up straight when they were all gathered with food.

"I love all of you. You know that right?"

They all looked at him. "Of course," Five said, cringing as he smiled.

"All of you?"

Every head turned to Nine, who shrugged. _~I don't know.~_

"I do. I promise I do. I would kill for any of my Stitchpunks, and I proved it with you and Six. You owe me nothing for it, but I would be greatly pleased if you decided to live here with us and be a part of our family.

Nine blinked at him. _~Is this my formal invitation?~_

"Sounds like it," Eight said fondly. "I agree."

"Me, too," Six said, smiling at him.

The others all chorused their agreement, and tears appeared in Nine's eyes as he was overwhelmed.

_~I would love to. Thank you. I…~_

One set his plate on the floor, going to kiss him lovingly. "Welcome to the family, Nine. I am very glad that Eight found you."

Eight gingerly wrapped an arm around him. "Yeah, I am, too."

Nine sat there, staring into his bowl of broth. He looked up at his friend.

_~Love you, Eight.~_

"I love you, too. Thanks for sticking with me, even when we went all around the world. I know I'm annoying."

_~Hey, you didn't have cult members after your ass.~_

They all laughed, and they felt like they could do it despite their wounds, especially now that the darkness was behind them. They settled in to eat, and the air felt different. It was subtle, but they all noticed it. It was the sensation of being complete. They all knew that there would be no more numbers added. They knew that they were family. They loved each other, and, though they knew that life would still hold plenty of challenges for them, they were ready to face it. Because they had each other to lean on. And that was enough.


End file.
